My mom and Stepfather had been separated for 4 years after being married for over 20 years. One day he unexpectedly said that he was leaving her, signed the hosue over to her (which he had taken out a second mortgage on behind her back), and left. Earlier this year my stepfather, who resides in NY and collects NY State Disability, traveled to Kansas, the home state of his girlfriend, to file for divorce citing that she had left him and he has not been able to contact her. However he has seen her on numerous occasions since they separated. She has remained at the same job for 20+ years, and resides in the same small city as him. She has even treated his girlfriend in the ER while he was present numerous times. When he filed for divorce, they put the legal notice in the local paper, which of course, my mother would not have seen. Since she has never lived in Kansas or been to Great Bend, she does not read that paper. She only discovered this when she went to get a prescription filled and was told she was no longer covered by his insurance. After probing the insurance company, she found out that they had accepted a letter stating that they were divorced. My Stepfather had forged her signature. With more digging, she found out that in the divorce, she was not entitled to any of his Teamsters' pension, which we assume was his main motive. Since there is obvious fraud on many levels, my mother contacted the local Kansas DA's office. After first promising that they would get law enforcement involved, they later told her there was nothing they could do.
My mother has little money left, working 2 jobs to pay her living expenses, the debt she incurred by my stepfather, and the lawyer she had hired for her divorce in NY state before this mess started. Since her lawyer is not lisenced in Kansas, there is nothing he can do. She cannot afford to hire an attorney in Kansas while keeping hers in NY, where the divorce should be filed.
We've been told by some to contact Federal Authorities since this crime has taken place in 2 states, but we're not sure if that will get us anywhere. We're looking for advice on how to proceed. My stepfather has clearly committed a crime, and he should be held accountable for his crimes.
My mother has little money left, working 2 jobs to pay her living expenses, the debt she incurred by my stepfather, and the lawyer she had hired for her divorce in NY state before this mess started. Since her lawyer is not lisenced in Kansas, there is nothing he can do. She cannot afford to hire an attorney in Kansas while keeping hers in NY, where the divorce should be filed.
We've been told by some to contact Federal Authorities since this crime has taken place in 2 states, but we're not sure if that will get us anywhere. We're looking for advice on how to proceed. My stepfather has clearly committed a crime, and he should be held accountable for his crimes.
